Lisa Fitzpatrick Dropped Everything and Started a New Orleans Youth Center.

Lisa Fitzpatrick Dropped Everything and Started a New Orleans Youth Center.

NEW ORLEANS — A group of bright red tricycles is put away each evening. But then, mysteriously, they reappear the next morning in a cluster tucked into the corner of the playground.

The culprits are not children but young men, nearly 20 years old, who can often be seen having the time of their lives riding the tiny three-wheelers or climbing on the jungle gym.

“Some of the toughest-looking guys you will ever see: six feet tall, dreads, tattoos,” says Lisa Fitzpatrick. “So many of our kids missed a childhood because of [hurricane] Katrina; it’s nothing for me to come out here and see a 17-year-old going down a slide.”